GHC800m saved from restricted tenders – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has revealed his government has saved Gh¢800 million from restricted tenders.

Delivering the 2018 State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Thursday, February 08, 2018, he revealed that in 2017 there were 346 Requests for Restricted Tenders, and 167 (48%) were approved, and 179 (52%) were rejected.

“The savings, made over the year as a result, amounted to some GH¢800 million,” President Akufo-Addo stressed.

He also added that in the year under review, “394 Sole Sourcing Requests were made, out of which 223 (56.6%) were approved, and 171 (43.4%) were rejected.”

“I believe it bears repeating here that, thanks to these boring figures, for the first time in a long while, we have been able to provide better budgetary support to the constitutionally-mandated institutions that hold government accountable.

“We have been able to transfer some GH¢3.1 billion of Tier 2 pension funds into the custodial accounts of the pension schemes of the labour unions, funds that have been outstanding for six years, and about which the labour unions had been loudly complaining,” Nana Addo noted.

“As a result of engagements with organised labour, we ensured that the National Daily Minimum Wage was determined and approved before the laying of the 2018 budget by the Minister for Finance.”

He added: “There were no strike actions last year. We will continue the constructive dialogue with organised labour to find mutually satisfactory solutions to their concerns, in order to guarantee industrial peace.”

He was full of praise of his Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta over his managerial skills.

“Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, is proving to be a national asset,” Nana Addo stated.